St. Petersburg Florida. The city of St. Petersburg is attacking the democratic and economic rights of African people. This latest attack is characterized by an attempted give-awayof $700,000 to Baywalk, a failing entertainment complex thaaat has a long history of discrimination and harassment of African people. This violation of our rights is furight by brutal police tactics to attaack Africans, particularly youths in attempt to abrogate the right to demonstrate against injustice by the attempt to give the public sidewalk to a private company (Wells Fargo which owns Baywalk). The right to free speech is fundamental for Africans to organize not at Baywalk but everywhere!
St. Petersburg Florida's colonialist domination of oppressed and exploited African workers is legendary and so is the African workers revolutionary response. When it comes to economic development of the African community, St. Petersburg has been and continues to be notorious in its lies to our people. The city government lied to steal African owned property and has destroyed African businesses. They have stolen Africans' property in the gas plant area(through eminent domain) by saying that they were bringing light industry in the area to employ Africans.The city destroyed historic African businesses such as Sno- Peak, a fast food restaurant,which had operated for 40 years by lying to the community that a industrial complex would be built in the area. The city also destroyed forced Green Bakery to relocate its business 18th Street aand virtually destroyed its business because it is no longer able to serve its former clientele. Today St. Petersburg city
government is harassing African residents who sit under a tree next Ike's liquor store and it is rumored that they want to take this property also.
The struggles of African workers since 1966 under the leadership of the Junta of Militant Organization (jOMO) and since 1972 under the leadership of the African People's Socialist Party (APSP) and its mass organizations such as the International People Democratic Uhuru Movement (InPDUM) has resisted and won victories against the city. Since 1996, when the conception of Baywalk began to materialize, St. Petersburg did not conceive of African participation in this project. When Baywalk opened in November 2000, It was a whites' only proposition. In 2003 the Uhuru Movement launched weekly protests against Baywalk's discrimination and oschestrated attacks against the African community. These protests lasted for eight months and ended in an agreement that Baywalk would end its discriminatory and anti-African policies but shortly after the agreement Baywalk continued harass demonstrations, InPDUM has waged relentless struggles against the colonialist activities of this entertainment and been blamed for this failed enterprise. St. Petersburg is now attempting to bail out Baywalk by giving $700,000 to its present day owner Wells Fargo and has attempted take away the public right to demonstrate by giving the public sidewalk to this parasitic company
InPDUM demands are as follows:
- Stop the $700,000 welfare for Baywalk and keep the sidewalk public;
- stop the harassment of Africans under the tree next to Ikes;
- We demand Millions of dollars of repararions to the African community.
- End the policy of police containment and implement a policy of economic devolopment for the African community.5.We demand the right of free speech and peaceful assembly.
